NAPERVILLE — The fourth annual College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Women’s Wrestling Championship is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. inside Elmhurst’s R.A Faganel Hall.
 
Doors will open at 1 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, while children nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Fans can follow live results and brackets through TrackWrestling, and live video coverage of every mat will be available on the CCIW Network. Free parking will be available in the main lot off Walter Street and Alexander Boulevard.
 
North Central enters the tournament as the three-time defending conference champion and will be seeking a fourth consecutive title after capturing the 2025 championship with 137.5 team points. The Cardinals, ranked third in the most recent national poll, won their first National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals title earlier this month.
 
Several returning individual champions highlight the 2026 brackets. Aurora’s Genesis Ramirez, the 2025 champion at 103 pounds and the reigning CCIW Most Outstanding Student-Athlete, returns to the field, as does teammate Natasha Markoutsis, who won the 136-pound title in 2023. 
 
Alexis Janiak of Aurora, a two-time champion at 130 pounds in 2023 and 131 pounds in 2025, is also back in contention. North Central’s Sydney Perry, the 2025 champion at 145 pounds, returns this season competing in the 160-pound bracket.
 
The CCIW has been a pioneer in the sport, becoming the first NCAA Division III conference to host a league-wide women’s wrestling championship in 2023. This 2026 season marks a historic milestone for the sport, as women’s wrestling has officially advanced from the Emerging Sports for Women program to host its first-ever NCAA national collegiate championship this year.